The Get Up Kids were viewed throughout their existence as a prototypical emo band, having been major players in the Midwest emo movement of the mid-1990s.[4] However, like many early emo bands, The Get Up Kids sought to dissociate themselves with the term, as it was considered dismissive to be seen as an "emo band."Years later, guitarist Jim Suptic even apologized for having the influence they did on many of the modern third-wave emo bands, commenting that "the punk scene we came out of and the punk scene now are completely different. Itβs like glam rock now . . . If this is the world we helped create, then I apologize.β
Influential Kansas City five piece, The Get Up Kids, return in January 2011 with a new studio album,There Are Rules β the bandβs fifth full-length collection, and the first on their own Quality Hill Records imprint.
Seven years after what looked to be their final album Guilt Show, with the group disbanding a year later in 2005 after 10 years of constant touring, The Get Up Kids returned to the studio in 2009, sparked by a spur-of-the-moment decision to start writing songs together again, made while they were rehearsing to promote the tenth anniversary edition of their breakout album βSomething to Write Home Aboutβ.
The first fruits of these new recordings was βSimple Scienceβ, released in April 2010 - an EP that burst, unannounced, into the Billboard Top 200. But that was just a taste β a precursor to the full-length album, which Alternative Press magazine, upon hearing a whisper of its existence, placed on their βmost anticipatedβ¦β list.
The band re-convened at their Black Lodge studio in Eudora, KS at various times in 2010 to complete the recordings, and so βThere Are Rulesβ came to be - twelve new songs that will prove to be both surprising, and familiar. The result is a collection of songs that are fresh and inspired, created by a band that has been given new life and isnβt looking back. In some fashion, the new tracks mark a return to the early days of The Get Up Kids, when they formed fifteen years ago above a drum store in downtown Kansas City. The recording involved lots of analog 2β tape β live takes and a feel for the unexpected. Long time producer Ed Rose was once again seated behind the mixing desk, and the band even turned to Chicago luminary Bob Weston, who recorded their debut, Four Minute Mile, to master the album. βThis record came together really organically. We'd throw out an idea and if it didn't work after 30 minutes we'd scrap it and move on to another one. We all wrote together really spontaneously and then fleshed it out with Ed in the studio," says Matt Pryor.
At the same time, βThere Are Rulesβ marks a new chapter for The Get Up Kids, as they return to their independent roots, forming their own label β Quality Hill Records β and reigniting the DIY spirit that originally launched the band onto the worldwide stage. Says Pryor, β"We had a really great relationship with Vagrant but we felt that with the proverbial rebirth of the band we wanted to start our own label. Do everything ourselves like we did in the beginning." And as to naming the imprint? "Quality Hill is a historic neighborhood in Kansas City. It's not far from where we first formed the band. It seems like an appropriate name for the label." And of course, echoing their formative years, there is a 7β single involved. That 45 would be βAutomaticβ β a limited edition release due in January 2011.
And so, after touring across four continents to sold out crowds too many times to count, after becoming a crucial part of what has been called the βsecond wave of emoβ in the 90βs along with bands like Braid and The Promise Ring and influencing a list of bands as long as your arm, after 15 years, 4 acclaimed studio albums, a collection of rarities, a live record, numerous 7"s and EPs the Kansas City five piece β Matthew Pryor on vocals and guitar, Rob Pope on bass, Jim Suptic on guitars and vocals, James Dewees on keyboards and Ryan Pope on drums - are excited to unveil βThere Are Rulesβ in 2011, proving that the final chapter for The Get Up Kids has yet to be written.
Red Letter Day
The Get Up Kids Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What with the world we gave away in front of you
I see it all much clearer now
You're just a phase
I've gotten over anyhow
It's over
I'm not giving in again
We're loyal like brothers
Just us versus all the others
You the one for, you the one for me
I trusted misleading promises worth repeating
How could you do this to me?
Red letter day that I learned
I'm sure you'll get what you deserve
I see it all much clearer since
Far past the point of this
It's over
We're loyal like brothers
Just us versus all the others
You the one for, you the one for me
I trusted misleading promises worth repeating
How could you do this?
How could you do this to me?
And if it's a lie
I don't want to be the one who signed
I'm not the one who falls down
It's over now
If you want to try
Try to forget it
I'll say it's over, I'm gone
We're loyal like brothers
Just us versus all the others
You the one for, you the one for me
I trusted misleading promises worth repeating
How could you do this?
How could you do this?
How could you do this to me?
The Get Up Kids' song "Red Letter Day" is a track from their album "Something to Write Home About" released in 1999. The song is about betrayal and moving on from it. The lyrics "You've got some nerve I never knew, What with the world we gave away in front of you, I see it all much clearer now, You're just a phase, I've gotten over anyhow" indicate that the singer is disillusioned and disappointed in the person who betrayed them. The reference to a "red letter day" in the chorus suggests that this betrayal was a significant event that caused a profound impact on the singer's life.
The song's chorus contains the lines "We're loyal like brothers, Just us versus all the others, You the one for, you the one for me". These lyrics are about the strong bond between the singer and the person who betrayed them, and the fact that this bond has been broken. The chorus also refers to the idea that the two of them were united against the world, but now that bond has been damaged.
Towards the end of the song, the lyrics state "And if it's a lie, I don't want to be the one who signed, I'm not the one who falls down, It's over now" which suggest that the singer wants to move on from the betrayal and not be caught up in it any longer. The song concludes with the singer acknowledging the betrayal and moving on from it, singing "I trusted misleading promises worth repeating, How could you do this? How could you do this? How could you do this to me?".
Overall, "Red Letter Day" is about coming to terms with a significant betrayal and moving on from it. It portrays the emotions of disappointment, disillusionment, and hurt without being overdramatic.
Line by Line Meaning
You've got some nerve I never knew
You are displaying an unexpected level of audacity
What with the world we gave away in front of you
Considering the state of the world we handed over to you
I see it all much clearer now
I understand everything much better now
You're just a phase
Your presence in my life was only temporary
I've gotten over anyhow
I've moved on from you regardless
It's over
Our relationship is finished
I'm not giving in again
I'm not going to surrender to you again
We're loyal like brothers
Our connection is unbreakable
Just us versus all the others
It's just the two of us against everyone else
You the one for, you the one for me
You are the perfect match for me
I trusted misleading promises worth repeating
I believed false assurances that were worth telling again
How could you do this to me?
How could you betray me this way?
Red letter day that I learned
A significant moment when I gained knowledge
I'm sure you'll get what you deserve
You will reap what you sow
Since far past the point of this
For a long time now
And if it's a lie
If it's untrue
I don't want to be the one who signed
I don't want to be held responsible for agreeing to it
I'm not the one who falls down
I won't be the one who gets hurt or defeated
If you want to try
If you want to attempt to fix things
Try to forget it
Try to put it out of your mind
I'll say it's over, I'm gone
I'll tell you it's finished and I'm leaving
How could you do this?
How could you do this?
How could you do this to me?
How could you betray me like this?
Lyrics Β© Songtrust Ave
Written by: James Suptic, Ryan Pope, Rob Pope, James Dewees, Matthew Patrick Pryor
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Boognish
You've got some nerve I never knew
What with the world we gave away in front of you
I see it all much clearer now
You're just a phase
I've gotten over anyhow
It's over
I'm not giving in again
We're loyal like brothers
Just us versus all the others
You the one for, you the one for me
I trusted misleading promises worth repeating
How could you do this to me?
Red letter day that I learned
I'm sure you'll get what you deserve
I see it all much clearer since
Far past the point of this
It's over
We're loyal like brothers
Just us versus all the others
You the one for, you the one for me
I trusted misleading promises worth repeating
How could you do this?
How could you do this to me?
And if it's a lie
I don't want to be the one who signed
I'm not the one who falls down
It's over now
If you want to try
Try to forget it
I'll say it's over, I'm gone
We're loyal like brothers
Just us versus all the others
You the one for, you the one for me
I trusted misleading promises worth repeating
How could you do this?
How could you do this?
How could you do this to me?
Jack32X
God this album is such a gem
Alberto Obispo Fuertes
if get up kids is your new fav band, this means you are in one of the best moments in ur life, get up kids is the best buddy ever
absent jade
this will be the peak of my pop punk early 20s phase. thanks
Guy Vandermire
yep it's all downhill afterwards lol bering a teenager during the 90s was indescribable. and getting old sucks
Mark Carey
I just started listening to this band recently and I already love them.I didn't get into the 'emo' scene because im only 17 right now but these guys are amazing.They have so much emotion and meaning to their music unlike all the other music I've been listening to.I think I just found my all time favourite band
Dumpster Cub
Hello 17 year old from 7 years ago, tis I, a 17 year old now.
D K
And what about six years later? Hahaha
Mike From Wii Sports
And now?
Valeria Carrasco
@manee And now?
manee
And now?